Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-03-03
FAMOUS HENRY CLAY DEAN.
Incidents in the Stormy Life of n Bril-
liant Orator.
lKeOkuE Us.) Dispatch in Globs-DenOcrar. ]

lKeokuk Ua.) Dispatch in Globe Democrat
i In personal appearance Henry CIaI
Dean was tall, straight as an arrow and
about 200 pounds In weight. He was a
handsome man into old age and socially
popular. He was 55 years of age. His
! home ("RebePs Cover was in Putnam
county, but his pOst-ofIice address was at
Dean, a station on the Keokuk and
Western Road, in AppanOose county.
He Is survived by his wife, two sons,
Williams and Charles. Early in the war
of the rebellion Keokuk was a recruit
ing point for the Northwest, and Union
soldiers were coming in from all points
and moving on to the front, so that
they did not remain long enough to be-
come familiar with the leading char
acters of the city. During those troub-
nlous time Henry Clay Dean made
keokuk his principal headquarters, and
his accustomed stOicism did as he
pleased and talked as seditiously as he
saw fit, with no fear of bodily harm, for
the old inhabitants knew Henry CLAY
Dean. In those days Judge Clagett was
editor of the Constitution, a rabid anti
Abolitionist paper, and the Judge was
a boon companion and crOny of Mr..
Dean, and as they were one in opinion
| they were marked as the enemies of the
Union cause who were tolerated simply
because they were old inhabitants. The
famous and bloodless battle of Canton,
which even now, after nearly a quarter
of a century has passed, will bring a
smile TO the face of those who were near
enough to hnOw what the battle was,
drew the line on Messrs. Dean and CIa-
gett, who ridiculed the conduct of the
home guards who went out to Canton
for amusement, and never stopped run
ming after testing the ammunition of
Sterling Prices and Quantrell's men
the former by word of mouth and the
latter in his paper, and the result of
their ridiclue was that the Consultation,
printing g-office, type, presses and furni-
ture was seized by the Union troups
and dumped into the Mississippi, while
Mr.. Dean was dragged from his house
to be hanged to lamp-post.
There seemed no hope for the Rebels
Cove man, unless he would renounce
his Confederate principles, and this he
stoutly refused to do. He was dragged
through the streets by an infuriated
mob of soldiers and citizens, and had
been placed upon dry-goods box be-
meath convenient lamp post on Main
street, preparatory to being swung off
into eternity, when Judge J. B. Howell.
editor of the Gate city, Republican
paper, and who was afterward United
States Senator from Iowa and men,
Der of the Alabama Claims Commission.
put in an appearance and, bare-headed
and coatless, mounted wagon and ap-
pealed to the mob to listen to him.
Judge Howell was popular with the
people and loyal to the core, and he
stayed the proposed lynching long
enough to secure the attention of the
crowd and then by his eloquence and
earnestness saved the life of Henry
Clay Dean. During all the proceedings
Dean uttered not single word, nor
did his nerve desert him for second,
and when he was told that he could go
he departed as slowly and coolly as
though nothing had happened.
In Iowa especially, but wherever he
was known, Henry Clay Dean was re-
cognized as an orator without peer.
His chief eccentricity was in the matter
of dress. He always worea full beard
and mustache, unkempt and unshorn,
a soft slouch hat, and attire that border
ed on the slOvenly. He cared not
whether his shoes were laced or un-
laced, and was primitive to a painful
degree in everything he did, even to
the partaking of his meals, which he
usually ate with his hat on, following
the precept that fingers were made be-
fore knives and forks. At the Iowa
State University he once appeared with
a new suit of clothes. He was to de-
liver an address to the class, and when
he appeared on the stage litter ran
through the audience. Deane wore a
pair of pantaloons similar to the tradi-
tional sailors trousers, blue flannel
shirt, a flowing brown linen duster and
q pair of brogan shoes, unlaced and
with the strings whipped about his
ankle at every move he made. He paid
menced to talk as soon as he appeared.
hearers had forgotten the attire and the
man and were enwrapted with as bril-
liant oratory as ever dropped from any
lips.
He was q power on the stump, and
during the famous campaign in which
Iowa was carried by the Republicans by
scarcely 5000 majority Dean travelled
by day and talked at night from the
halfbreed tract to the Western Reserve
of the State, carrying greater weight
for the Democratic party than all of its
other leaders combined. He never for
got man after being introduced to him
and his popularity was largely due to
this fact. Among all Iowans-Repub-
licans and Democrats alke-Eenry Clay
Dean was regarded as one of the most
remarkable and brilliant as well as the
most eccentric man within their ken.
A DEMOCRAT FROM RHODE IS
LAND